Batman
Bruce Wayne on the other hand is Gotham's favorite son who is frequently the face of Wayne Enterprises and the Wayne Foundation. Sometimes he ends up on page 6, and sometimes he makes a fool of himself at social parties. The Batman is a seemingly omnipresent force in Gotham City; despite the fact that few have seen him and many are sure he actually does not exist. He has been rumored to endanger the youth, as sometimes he is said to have a brightly-costumed adolescent or teenager in his retinue. Others call him a menace and a threat to the safety of the city. Those a bit more savvy know he is involved in the Justice League, an association of powerful superheroes. Those who know him, know better than to talk about him -- they're pretty certain he's listening. Background The son of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce Wayne was well loved and even spoiled. His father was a doctor of prestige and ethics, his mother a woman of compassion and charity as she was the motivating factor behind the Wayne Foundation. At the age of 8, they went to go see Zorro in the Monarch Theater one night. On the way home, a mugger shot and killed Thomas and Martha right before Bruce's eyes. It was Leslie Thompkins, a physician and social worker, that found him and gave him comfort until the police and Alfred Pennyworth could arrive. The pain and sorrow ate at the boy, until he swore an oath to purge the city of the evil that has over taken it. At the age of 14, he left Gotham City. He began to travel globally, attending universities all over the world, never staying long. Eventually, he began to disappear entirely, studying martial arts under various instructors in different countries from the man-hunter in Paris to Lady Shiva herself. The years passed by, six in fact, as he mastered not only the academics and martial arts, but also uncommon skills such as disguise, escape artistry, gymnastics, ventriloquism, and under the Napalese monks traditional healing disciplines. At the age of 20, he joined the FBI. After learning the countless regulations and red tape, Bruce figured out he was getting exactly nowhere fast and took his leave. The return of Bruce Wayne was a quiet affair, as he began to try and gathering information on the streets. What looked to be a BDSM whore stabbed him in the leg one night when he was fighting with her pimp, though perhaps it might also have to do with the fact he accidentally knocked aside an underage hooker when fighting. No one feared him, he was nothing. Depressed, and sitting in the library of his manor one night, a bat crashed through one of the windows. He remembered as a child falling through a well once, and the cave with bats. He needed to become a weapon of fear, and he would. Inspired, he began to become the Batman. His public return as Bruce Wayne was quite dramatic. Harvey Dent became his first ally, one that would sadly become one of his worse enemies when acid took his face and madness his mind. He later met Jim Gordon, who in time Batman helped to become Commissioner, though it would have never happened with Gordon's strong heart and work. Bruce witnessed the fall of the Grayson family at the circus one night, and took in the lost boy Dick Grayson. He knew fatherhood for the first time, and how impossible it is to tell a boy no when the boy's heart tells him yes. His first Robin was born. He fought mobsters and gangs; he fought new growing personalities such as The Joker and the thief Catwoman. He even got a Bat-Signal on the top of the Gotham City Police Department. Then there was the Scarecrow, the Riddler, and Poison Ivy. Next was the mobster Penguin, and Mister Freeze. So many he put behind Arkham Asylum's closed doors, only to see them escape. Founding the Justice League was perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of his life. Still, the relationship was never an easy road as comradeship was mixed with paranoia and suspicion. Still, while Batman has plans to take the team down should they go wild, they are also his protection should he become uncontrollable. And then Batgirl. Jim Gordon's adopted girl, after his marriage had already fallen apart thanks to Gotham City and perhaps somewhat thanks to Batman as well. Barbara Gordon, thinking dressing up as a Bat would be a good Halloween jest. Still, she was the one that defeated Killer Moth to protect Bruce Wayne and he was the one that dubbed her 'Batgirl'. The appearance of Ra's ah Ghul is most painful, as the League of Assassins had many plots to decrease the population of the world to assure their master's rule. And Talia ah Ghul? Beautiful, sweet, and potentially more deadly than all others, her mind was twisted and wrapped up within her father's grasp. When Batman has a disagreement with the League after they refuse to help him save his CEO Lucius Fox from Baron Bedlam in Markovia for political reasons, Batman created the Outsiders to fit the needs. Black Lightning, Geo-Force, Halo, Katana, and Metamorpho all got the job done, but they have since faded away. Dick and Bruce had their difficulties as well (and alright, Batman fired him), separating for a time while Dick discovered himself as Nightwing, a name gained from Kryptonian stories that Superman had told him when he was young. In the meantime, Batman ended up taking in Jason Todd. Jason Todd was trouble, having a life of crime. His parents dead, he trained to become the new Robin. Batman later helps form Justice League International after Justice League Detroit disbands. Though is life is once again interrupted violently, as Joker kidnaps Gordon, and shoots Barbara in the back, paralyzing her. Getting Gordon back, even with the shame he underwent, he is asked to do things 'by the book'. He stops Harley Quinn and captures Joker, but he could really kick himself for laughing, because the Joker got away. That regret deepened, when Jason disappeared. He found out his mother was in fact his step-mother, and finding records of his real mother, went to go see her. Joker was blackmailing her though, and Jason is betrayed by his own mother. Beaten within an inch of his life by a crowbar at the Joker's hands, he is unable to escape before the time bomb goes off. Batman is moments too late, and is crushed by the death he rightly feels responsible for. Hunting down the Joker, Batman and Superman stop Joker as the Iran diplomat from mass murdering the U.N. However, Joker escapes and there is an explosion on his helicopter. There is no body. Batman's anger grows. Unable to cope with the tragedy, Tim Drake later appears after discovering Bruce Wayne is Batman on his own. Tim was a fan of Dick when he was in the circus. It is while wearing the Robin costume the first time, which he saves Nightwing and Batman from Two-Face's death trap. Their relationship has become complicated as the years progress from saving his father's life from a voodoo kidnapper, to the many difficulties they struggled through in their partnership. Batman is still having difficulties however, even seeking help at this point from therapist Shondra Kinsolving. While Robin trains, Bruce's fatigue gets worse. He orders the training of Jean-Paul Valley. He could not even capture Black Mask. When Bane comes to the city for the first time, he starts to take over as a crime leader. He breaks out all the criminals in Arkham Asylum, making Batman exhaust himself to nothingness to put them all back away again. A dose of Scarecrow's fear gas that makes him relive Jason Todd's death seems the last straw. At his weakest, Ban breaks into Wayne Manor and breaks Batman's back, and he displays a broken Bat in Gotham Square. Jean-Paul Valley takes up the mantle of Batman, putting Tim in a very difficult situation while Bruce tries to find a way to recover. Dr. Shandra though is the key. However, in the end, her mad brother ruins everything, and in her last moments with her special gifts during the battle, she heals Bruce's back. Guilt ridden with her mind now no more than a child's, he returns to Gotham City to find that Jean-Paul has broken Bane, and has started to spread true terror in the form of a mechanically enhanced Batman. Bruce fights to regain his old training, even bowing to go to Lady Shiva for the push he needs. Only when he has regained what he lost long ago, does he fight Jean-Paul Valley across the city for the title of Batman. Little does he know that Catwoman was very much caught in the cross-fire of the battle and was lucky to escape with her life by a whisker. Batman reaffirms his relationship with Tim, and the duo work well together, perhaps better than ever before. It is after this that Batman finally works with other heroes to reform the Justice League of America, and learn about the White Martians. Batman is then wrapped up in Gotham City as Cataclysm rocks it at its core. Bruce Wayne disappears and Batman works hard to try and stop the city from being unsalvageable. Wayne goes to Washington D.C. to speak on behalf of Gotham City. However, it failed when Mayor Grange was gunned down; non-criminal elements were ordered to leave within 48 hours and all the mad criminals were released from Arkham Asylum into the streets. It became No Man's Land. All bridges to the city were destroyed, and Bruce Wayne disappeared. Batman remained, as did Jim Gordon and several members of the Gotham Police Department to protect civilians that could not leave. Oracle and Huntress also remained, with Huntress taking on the Batgirl costume and finds Batgirl is more feared than huntress. She abandons the outfit after she loses Batman's territory to Two-Face and his army of men. Fighting inch-by-inch with Jim Gordon to take back Gotham City, Cassandra Cain shows up to stop her father from killing Gordon. Renee Montoya also saves Jim Gordon from the false trial put on by Harvey Dent, by pleading to his good persona. With Lex Luthor's arrive, Batman sends Catwoman to steal plans he himself made to bring back to the City, so that it can be rebuilt. He also has Lucius Fox find the original deeds to protect the city from Luthor, and saves Fox from being assassinated by the evil corporate man. Finally, the U.S. Government reverses its ruling on No Man's Land, and allows Gotham to rejoin the U.S. The city is rebuilt. However, not all is well, as Talia al Ghul steals plans to stop the Justice League from Batman, and hands them over to her father. Ra's ah Ghul starts to take down the Justice League members one-by-one, while also stealing Batman's parents. Batman stops him however, making sure his parents do not go into the Lazarus Pit. He also realizes his plans were stolen and warns everyone. He is voted to be dismissed from the team for the betrayal, but Superman convinces him he needs to regain their trust. He reveals his secret identity to the other founders. Bruce Wayne at this time games a bodyguard named Sasha Bordeaux. They are framed for the murder of Vesper Fairchild. Escaping custody, they figure out they cannot prove their innocence without revealing their secret identities. At first, Bruce planned to retire 'Bruce Wayne' forever, but later realizes that is foolish. He finally manages to prove David Cain as the real assassin, clearing both their names. However, their romance did not last past the ordeal. Later, Tim Drake is forced to give up his career as Robin after Jack Drake discovers his identity, and Stephanie Brown a.k.a. Spoiler is chosen as the new Robin. However, after his disobeys orders, Batman fires her and she implements one of his contingency plans to unite the entire Gotham underworld under Match Malone. Little did she know, that was one of Batman's secret identities. It all goes to hell, with Catwoman and Spoiler witnessing it. Black Mask later captures Stephanie and tortures her. She is later taken to Dr. Thompkins and is trapped in a coma. During the bloody war, Black Mask assassins Batman's ally who was to take control of the massive power vacuum, and while posing as the man takes the helm. Robin does finally work things out with his father and once again takes on the masked identity of Robin with Spoiler in a coma. When Spoiler does finally wake up, it takes a while to heal some of the rift between her and Batman. They are on better terms, but they still not working closely together. When the Labyrinth called upon Batman however, he found no one in there. However, the information he gained while in the Labyrinth was great. The destruction left behind in Gotham City in his absence however was greater. He remained in the City, having Oracle watch for information on the new heroes that are populating the world, along with the new terrorist groups and more. It is only now, with an invitation from the Hellfire Club, that he realizes he cannot concentrate solely on Gotham City anymore, as he has since the Labyrinth. The Justice League calls, and the world has expanded with the appearance of mutants which are rapidly outweighing the number of meta-humans. The world has changed, and he will need to master this new universe. Personality Broken & Rebuilt: Bruce was broken when his parents died. The unending question of Why was never truly answered, not in a satisfactory manner. Yet, he was able to rebuilt himself, grew, became more than he was. He is stronger than he ever was, and each time he is broken down, he rebuilds himself bigger and better. This is how Bruce operates as Batman. Whatever knocks him down, he will bring down twice as hard in return. Perfectionist: Bruce is a perfectionist. He has his perfect persona as Bruce Wayne, he has one of the smartest and most peak mortal men in the world. He is one of the best detectives in the world (almost as good as Detective Chimp if you ask the chimp himself). He is a master tactician, a master this, a master that. Always the perfection, as a result, failure can really drive the nail home. Distant: Bruce has difficulty connecting with people emotionally. He loves, and he loves deeply, but he likes to deny himself because he thinks it is for the best for himself and for others. He sometimes forgets and thinks emotional attachments will weaken him, and when an emotional attachment is broken as Jason Todd's death it hurts him more than his back being broke. Alfred is one of the few people that truly understand him. Stubborn & Determined: Bruce is beyond stubborn and determined. Getting him to do something against his will and worse than pulling teeth. He achieves the impossible because of these attributes. Batman is seen as unstoppable because of these very attributes. They can also cause great damage just as his emotional distance to his relationships with others. Angry: Bruce is actually very angry at the world for being broken the way it is, twisted, and warped. He despises the fact there are meaningless crimes, and monsters like the Joker. Still, he takes that anger and wields it as a weapon with his determined self-control. This is where his passion stems from, and can be very deadly if Bruce ever forgot his morals and values (which he wouldn't). Savior & Martyr: Bruce is the savior of Gotham City, but also a martyr. Though he recognizes he needs help from Jim Gordon, Oracle, and others, he often pushes them aside and takes all the pain and suffering into himself. He rather be injured than a loved one, he rather be broken than an innocent. He risks everything and does the impossible for this very reason. He is compassion and mercy in many ways, but he can also be the knight in dark armor. He is the hero of Gotham, and its nightmare. Logs First Player's Logs *2011-07-21 - Kara and the Bat - Kara breaks into the Batcave to ask a favor. Scholarship talks ensue. * 2011-07-21 - Dances and Dates - Batman and Catwoman happen upon each other on a rooftop. Bruce and Selina wind up with a date as a result. *2011-07-23 - Hawkgirl's Epic Failed Visit to Gotham - Hawkgirl stops in on Gotham City in her U.S. Tour, and has an a-typical unpleasent run-in with Batman. *2011-07-25 - Bat Signals are not Pagers! - Improptu use of the Bat Signal by Kara. Supergirl meets Robin and he's a-smittin'. *2011-07-26 - The Bat, the Bastich, His Friends, and Those Legs - Batman monitors gun runners. People show up. *2011-07-27 - Outsourcing - Batman Style - Part 1 - Batman asks Kara to do a mission. Batman gets a hug. Batman does not do hugs. *2011-07-28 - Outsourcing - Batman Style - Part 2 - Supergirl takes out a weapon running ring for Batman, and captures its leader for the Dark Knight to interrogate. *2011-07-29 - Batman's Lighter Side - A Kara Kent Perspective - Kara Kent meets Bruce Wayne - and really likes that persona! *2011-07-30 - Supergirl Express Airlines - Bruce Wayne and others are trapped - Supergirl to the rescue! Bruce talks to Supergirl during flight to Gotham. *2011-08-03 - Kara at the A-List Party - Kara gets invited by Bruce Wayne to party - hobknobs. Meets the Governator. There's a dance and kiss. *(TRM: 2011-08-08 - Gold Digging Alien or Cradle Snatching Billionaire?) *2011-08-10 - Underage and Undercover - Kara tries to go undercover at Pengiun's club to 'help' Batman *2011-08-12 - Interview Hell - Cass shows up to interview with Perry White at the Daily Planet. Bruce Wayne sits in, and Cass leaves less than happy. *2011-08-13 - Bruce Did What?! - Cass runs into Bruce again when filling out paperwork at the Daily Planet. In the end, who hired her exactly? *2012-03-17 - Hanging with Mr. Batman - After a scuffle with supervillains, Kara tries to 'hang out' with Batman to ask his advice. *2012-03-31 - I'm Not A Clone - Kendra visits Gotham City in search of a little trouble. What she finds is Batman and he's not pleased with what he learns. *2012-06-11 - Cutscene: Heroes Crisis - Ending: Behind the Scenes - The One Yahweh looks upon the world to witness a raging Lucifier Morningstar, a lying Satan, and of course the heroes that help piece the world back together again. NPC'ed Logs *2012-07-07 - Business - Sealed with a Kiss - Supergirl has a plan for financial independence by selling Kryptonian Tech, and the customer is Batman. Second Player's Logs *2013-05-20 - Sixteen Birds in Five Fighting Rings: Part 2 - Fight for Your Life! (and Ratings) - Catwoman, Zinda, Arsenal and Redtail get a tip from Oracle about where Killer Croc is taking the kidnapped teens. And become part of the show! Third Player's Logs 2013 Logs *2013-08-25 - Mission: Intergang: Recon Only - Investigating Intergang in NYC, Batman is only there for recon. However, whenever young women are involved, nothing goes according to plan. (IT: 2013-08-25 - Mystery Man, Gangs, and Hellion!) *2013-09-07 - Six For Three - The Sinister Six decides to make some profit in Gotham City. And they thought Spider-Man was a pain, they haven't met THE QUESTION! (GG: 2013-09-07 - Sinister Six Shanghaied) *2013-09-08 - Gossiping with Bats - Batman finds Flash in the cafeteria, and decides to treat Flash like Hermes with the latest gossip on current events. *2013-09-14 - My City Bats - Batman visits St. Roch to assign a mission to one unhappy Hawk. *2013-09-22 - Wait, Robin's a GIRL?!? - Batman finds a surprise waiting for him in the Batcave. *2013-09-23 - Babysitting - Morning breakfast is interrupted when Bruce hears from Oracle...he has a son! *2013-09-24 - Family Reunion, My Son - After discovering the existence of Talia's son, Batman is determined to rescue him even from himself. *2013-09-27 - Meet Damian! - Bruce Wayne introduces his newfound son, Damian Wayne, to the world - and to shocked friends. *2013-09-29 - Never Say Sorry or Help - Batman says many things, but only a few people know how to hear them. *2013-09-30 - Go To Your Room - While investigating the Joker, Batman and his newfound Robin discover Damian is disobeying orders. *2013-10-04 - Chemical Warfare: What is Weakness - Damian is stolen away from Bruce, and Savage has made his move. With no bars hold, Batman throws himself into protecting his family and city, even going so far as to actually ask for help. *2013-10-07 - Chemical Warfare: Trust to Live - After saving a dark haired boy from Savage's super soldiers, the Bat Family and Birds of Prey now race to save Gotham City. *2013-10-26 - Do Not Give Up - Drake returns home finally and finds the house full. After the drama, Bruce attempts another heart-to-heart with his son. *2013-10-31 - Oh Joy, an Animal - Bruce brings a little gift home for Damian, and Alfred betrays his 'excitement' over it. *2013-12-01 - Chatty Bats - Batman with his Red Robin do some patrols and catching up, getting away from the madness called Wayne Manor. *2013-12-27 - Never According to Plan - Finally tracking Joker down to his hideout, the Bat Family finds out that Joker CAN play nice with others, just not THEM. (GG: 2013-12-28 - Joker on the Loose!) Category:DC Feature Category:DC Hero Category:Gotham Category:DC Taken